A PUNITIVE DRUG POLICY SUBSIDIZES ORGANIZED CRIME

"Drugs -- mainly crack cocaine and marijuana -- are the root of many of the
crimes," according to the Daily Mail's May 13 article, "West Siders fight
to curb crime." So-called drug-related crime is in reality
prohibition-related. There is a clear historical precedent.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each
other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking
unregulated bathtub gin.

While our politicians ignore the lessons learned and their relevance to
drug policy, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public
health alternative based on the principle that both drug use and drug
prohibition have the potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle-exchange programs to stop the
spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft
drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration
as a prerequisite.

Unfortunately, fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels many politicians
to support a punitive drug policy that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Robert Sharpe
Washington, D.C.

Sharpe is program officer for the Drug Policy Alliance, a non-profit drug
policy organization.